No shortage of ideas for spending sales tax dollars

A renewed and expanded city sales tax is far from a sure thing, but there is no shortage of ideas on how to use the money it will generate.

Under LB840, which would devote a third toward property tax relief, a third toward toward capital improvement and a third toward economic development, hundreds of thousands of dollars would be available for specific projects.

The ideas, while not all of them are practical, are interesting. They ranged from establishing a new grocery store in the downtown area, to supporting Essential Air Service to establishing an enhanced RV park.

Other projects that might be funded include a water park, free high-speed Internet, building a municipal incinerator and creating waste-based industries such as plastic lumber.

Great ideas all, but a few points need to be remembered as we move forward.

For one, the majority of those present at Thursday night's meeting have a vested interest in approval of an extended and expanded city sales tax. They were mostly city employees or others involved in economic development efforts of one type or another.

A sales tax informational meeting attended by a more representative cross-section of local society probably would have had quite a different mood.

For another, while McCook is indeed a trade center, we have to question whether it's as big as the 40,000 people cited by a city official, but that's not far wrong.

And as a trade center, McCook will feel the full effects of taxation caused by LB701, the "solution" to Nebraska's shortchanging Kansas of Republican River water. The impact of $10 per irrigated acre and 10 cents per $100 of property value will no doubt be multiplied in its effect on the local economy.

Still, a city sales tax, whether the 1 cent currently in effect or the 11?2 cents proposed, is one way for McCook to benefit from its role as a trade center -- and help cover the expenses that honor entails.